The Wall Street Journal reports today that “for many of the roughly 3,000 political appointees who served President George W. Bush, [f]inding work has proved a far tougher task than those appointees expected”:

Only 25% to 30% of ex-Bush officials seeking full-time jobs have succeeded, estimated Eric Vautour, a Washington recruiter at Russell Reynolds Associates Inc. That “is much, much worse” than when Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton left the White House, he said. At least half those presidents’ senior staffers landed employment within a month after the administration ended, Mr. Vautour recalled.

Carlos Gutierrez, Commerce secretary under President Bush, blamed the struggling economy. “This is not a great time for anyone to be job hunting, including numerous former political appointees,” he said. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales feels the same way, but his successor, Michael Mukasey, didn’t seem to have any problem landing a job. (HT: Atrios)

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